Spreadsheet Charts

---
name: spreadsheet-charts
description: Build charts that make the point clearly, choosing the type by the question and removing everything that does not carry meaning. Use when presenting spreadsheet data visually.
---

# Spreadsheet charts

Default chart settings produce cluttered, hard-to-read output. A chart
should make one comparison obvious, and most improvement comes from
removing elements rather than adding them.

## Method

1. **Choose by the question.** Change over time as a line, category
   comparison as bars, composition rarely as a pie, and correlation as a
   scatter (see data-visualization).
2. **Sort bars by value.** Alphabetical ordering hides the ranking that
   is usually the point.
3. **Start value axes at zero for bars.** A truncated axis exaggerates
   differences and is misleading rather than emphatic.
4. **Remove decoration.** Gridlines, borders, shadows, and legends that
   duplicate labels all compete with the data.
5. **Label directly where possible.** Series labelled at the line beats
   a legend the reader must map back and forth.
6. **Title with the finding.** Sales fell after the price change is more
   useful than Monthly Sales (see slide-deck-creation).
7. **Check it works without colour.** Colour-only distinctions fail for
   many readers and in print (see color-contrast).

## Boundaries

Charts show patterns and hide detail, which is their purpose and their
risk. Spreadsheet charting is limited compared to dedicated tools for
complex visualisation. A chart cannot make a weak finding strong (see
data-storytelling).